This invention relates to mainsail roll-furling and more particularly to a boom gooseneck fitting which provides a furling reel interiorly of a hollow mast with which the gooseneck fitting is used so that the mainsail may be rolled up within the mast.
It has been proposed heretofore that mainsails as well as jibs be constructed so as to be roll-furling along their luff edges. Mainsail roll-furling rigs have been constructed in which the mainsail is roll-furled aft of the mast and, more recently, where the mainsail is roll-furled in a tubular compartment within a hollow extruded aluminum mast section. An example of a latter such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,804 issued on Sept. 17, 1974 to Patrick T. Jackson of Boothbay Harbor, Maine.
Whether the roll-furling is provided exteriorly or interiorly of the mast, however, it has typically been necessary to mount the rotary drive below the boom, if any boom were used, so as to provide access for the driving means. Further, such prior arrangements were typically quite difficult to install and, once installed, made it relatively difficult to change the mainsail, e.g. from one weight sailcloth to another or to remove the sail, e.g. for repairs.
Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of mainsail roll-furling apparatus which can be easily installed; the provision of such apparatus which permits a mainsail to be roll-furled within a cavity in a hollow extruded aluminum mast section, the mainsail being drawn out through an aft-facing slot in the mainsail; the provision of such apparatus which provides easy control of the roll-furling apparatus from a convenient point of access; the provision of such apparatus which facilitates the changing of sails; the provision of such apparatus which is relatively free from any tendency to jam or bind; and the provision of such apparatus which is reliable and which is of relatively simple and inexpensive construction. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.